Digital stamp

ABSTRACT

A digital stamp is described which can print out a message using a moveable inkjet printhead ( 30 ) which can be moved by a mechanical arrangement of arm ( 35 ) and pivots ( 33, 36 ). A cartridge ( 20 ) containing ink feeds the printhead ( 30 ) with monochrome or color ink via lines ( 52 ). Movement of the upper section ( 10 ) of the housing towards the lower section ( 12 ) of the housing moves the arm ( 35 ) to slide the printhead ( 30 ) across the aperture ( 34 ) in the lower section ( 12 ) while at the same time electronic signals fed to the printhead ( 30 ) print out the stored message. A spring ( 42 ) returns the printhead ( 30 ) to its inoperative position once having traversed the opening ( 34 ). The stored message may be fixed, replaceable or programmable or may be one from a fixed number of stored or updateable messages or images or can be input by an attached apparatus, for example, a CCD imager, to record an image and to print it via the printhead ( 30 ). The digital stamp can replace a rubber stamp in an office or may be used to print labels in a retail environment. An infra-red ink may also be supplied which can be used to print an encoded digital message with or on top of a visual print-out as a security measure when a printhead having the necessary number of inkjet nozzles is employed.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a 371 of PCT/AU03/00168 filed on Feb. 12,2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hand held digital stamp for printingon print media, which is designed to replace existing rubber stampdevices or stencils:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rubber stamps have been known for a long tie and embody a variety ofconstructions including a fixed face or a movable face. In the latterthe inked rubber surface is moved vertically into contact with the paperor media being stamped The stamp is normally a fixed message and cannotbe altered.

A number of stamps are employed in an office to convey messages, forexample, “Faxed”; “Copy”; or “Confirmation”. This creates considerableinventory as well as a limitation that any different message requires anew stamp to be created and, once created, the new stamp has only onefunctional purpose.

While rubber stamps are common in office environments there are othertypes of markers. Stencils are one such type and it is contemplated thatthe instant invention may be used in place of stencils.

CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS

Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present inventionare disclosed in the following co-pending applications filed by theapplicant or assignee of the present invention on 12 Feb. 2003:

PCT/AU03/00154 PCT/AU03/00151 PCT/AU03/00150 PCT/AU03/ 00145PCT/AU03/00153 PCT/AU03/00152 PCT/AU03/00168 PCT/AU03/ 00169PCT/AU03/00170 PCT/AU03/00162 PCT/AU03/00146 PCT/AU03/ 00159PCT/AU03/00171 PCT/AU03/00149 PCT/AU03/00167 PCT/AU03/ 00158PCT/AU03/00147 PCT/AU03/00166 PCT/AU03/00164 PCT/AU03/ 00163PCT/AU03/00165 PCT/AU03/00160 PCT/AU03/00157 PCT/AU03/ 00148PCT/AU03/00156 PCT/AU03/00155

The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated hereinby cross-reference.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided aprogrammable marking device for printing indicia on print media bymovement of a printing mechanism with respect to the print media whilesaid print media is substantially stationary, said printing mechanismincluding a printing means for printing said indicia, storage means forstoring in an electronic form information for printing said indicia,means for reading information from said storage means, means for writinginformation to said storage means, and processor means for processingsaid information and for controlling said printing means to print saidindicia as said printing means is moved with respect to said printmedia.

By using a compact, movable printhead, a digital stamp can be createdwhich can print a single message or a plurality of separate messages andcan be either pre-programmed or programmable. In the latter case, theprogrammability of the stamp may be done via a link to a computersystem, via a separate module that can be attached to the stamp device,or by some other method within the knowledge of a person skilled in theart.

Preferably, printing only occurs when said housing is in contact withprint media

Preferably, the housing has an aperture through which said printingmeans can print when said means for moving said printing means isoperative with said housing in contact with said print media

The means for moving the printing means may operate either manually orautomatically.

Preferably, the printing means is an inkjet printhead.

Preferably, the printing mechanism includes ink supply meansaccommodated within said housing, which are modular and may bereplaceable.

Print media includes any material suitable for printing thereon such aspaper products, fabric, plastics material metallic film or other film sotreated as to allow fixing and/or absorption of the ink employed. Inaddition, the properties and characteristics of the ink may be adjustedto improve the fixing and/or absorption of the ink with a particular orrange of print media

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described withrespect to the following figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional schematic of a stamp according to a firstembodiment of the invention in a first position;

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional schematic of the stamp of FIG. 1 in asecond, operative position;

FIG. 3, shows an underneath view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4, shows an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 illustratingthe components thereof;

FIG. 5 shows an example of use of the stamp of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a cartridge being mated with the body of the stamp of FIG.1;

FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of a cartridge according to the inventionfor use with the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 shows schematically a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 shows schematically a third embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 10 shows schematically a fourth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 shows schematically a fifth embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 12 and 13 show schematically two alternative embodiments forpositioning the printhead in the aperture of the stamp.

PREFERRED MODES OF PERFORMING THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the stamp according to one embodiment of theinvention comprises a housing having two parts, an upper part 10 and alower part 12 with the upper part 10 of the housing moveable withrespect to the lower part or base 12 of the housing. FIG. 1 shows thestamp with the housing in the inoperative or extended position whileFIG. 2 shows the stamp in its operative mode towards the end of astamping operation.

Fixed to the outside of the upper housing 10 is a slide 14 which isfixed to a printed circuit board 16 on the inside of the upper housing10. In the lower housing 12, a printhead 30 is located at one end 32 ofan opening 34 in the lower housing 12 and is supplied with ink from inkcartridge 20 via ink connector 19 and tubes 52. The printed circuitboard (PCB) 16 has the necessary solid state memory 15 and processingcapabilities to operate the printhead 30 and control other functionwithin the stamp housing, such as detecting the presence or absence ofan ink cartridge 20. Solid state memory includes, for example, ROM,PROM, EEPROM or low power consumption RAM such as CMOS, DRAM or SRAMdevices.

Slide 14 is used to select what indicia are to be printed as stored inmemory 15. The slide 14 may be a potentiometer whose resistance value isinterpreted by circuitry on PCB 16 to select a print choice from memory15, or may be a selector switch which chooses the required print bycontacting conductor strips or fingers on PCB 16 which strips are codedfor the desired location in memory 15. The selector switch may be alinear slide switch, as shown, or may be a rotary switch.

A battery (not shown) for operating the printhead 30 can be accommodatedin or associated with the ink cartridge 20, which is supported on basemoulding 22.

The printhead 30 moves across the opening 34 and in doing so prints theselected indicia 24, characteristic of the stamp, for example asillustrated in FIG. 5, on print media 26. The printhead 30 may be movedby an electrical motor or by various mechanical arrangements or acombination of motor and mechanical linkage. Typical mechanicalarrangements may be rack and pinion, peg and groove or rack and pinionand worm screw.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the printhead 30 is moved across theopening 34 by a mechanical mechanism comprising a pair of arms 35 fixedat one end to the top 36 of the printhead 30 by axle 31 and at theirother end to a bracket 38 of the upper housing 10 by axle 33. A pair ofpulley wheels or bearings 37 fixed to printhead 30 (see FIG. 4) engagein slot 39 to constrain the motion of the printhead 30 to a linearmotion across the opening 34. As the upper housing 10 is moved towardthe lower housing 12 by manual action the arms 35 move the printhead 30from left, as shown in FIG. 1, to the right, as shown in FIG. 2. At thesame time, the printhead 30 is activated to print the indicia required.The printhead 30 is supplied with information and activating signalsfrom the processing circuitry on PCB 16 via the wires 50 and with inkfrom the ink cartridge 20 via ink connector 19 and tubes 52. A four ink(red, yellow, cyan, black) printhead is illustrated although printheadshaving from one to six inks can be employed as disclosed in applicant'sapplications listed in the appendix.

A return spring 42 is fixed between a stationary part 47 of the lowerhousing 12 and axle 31 on printhead and ensures that the printhead 30and upper housing 10 will return to their initial starting positions asshown in FIG. 1, upon release of the pressure from the upper housing 10.

A tambour or shutter 55 covers the opening 34 when the stamp is not inuse (see FIG. 1). The tambour 55 is attached to the ledge 40 ofprinthead 30. As the printhead 30 moves across the opening 34 thetambour 55 moved around the rollers or bearings 51, 53 and along thebase of the ink cartridge 20. The tambour 55 is shown in its fullyretracted state in FIG. 2. When spring 42 returns the printhead 30 toits rest position, the tambour 55 is drawn back to cover the opening 34as shown in FIG. 1.

A copper arm 56 extends from the lower housing 12 to cover the printhead30 when in the “home position” as shown in FIG. 1. In this way the faceof the printhead 30 is protected from dirt and damage. The copper arm 56may further include a sponge or other absorbent material for collectingdrips or extraneous ink between runs of the printhead 30. The copper arm56 may also act as a lever to contact a microswitch (not shown) when thearm 56 is pressed onto print media to activate the circuitry controllingthe printing by printhead 30. A pair of rubber feet 37 supports thelower housing 12 and hence printhead 30 away from any support surface orthe surface of the print media when printing. Printhead 30 is an inkjetprinthead and the thickness of the feet 37 spaces the printhead 30 fromthe print media without interfering in the operation thereof.

A sensor (not shown) for example, a CCD image sensor, may be provided onthe side of the printhead 30 to detect the position of the printhead 30with respect to the housing to co-ordinate printing by the printhead 30.Signals from the CCD image sensor are fed to circuitry on PCB (printedcircuit board) 16 for processing. This circuitry controls the operationsof the printhead 30. The printhead 30 is a type of electromechanicallydriven inkjet printhead and the circuitry provides the signals to therespective ink nozzles required to print the message stored in ROM orRAM on the PCB 16.

The ink cartridge 20 is replaceable so that the stamp can be reused oncethe ink supply has been exhausted. It is also contemplated that a stampmay be used once only and therefore that the ink cartridge 20 is notdesigned to be replaceable in some forms of the invention.

One embodiment of a replaceable cartridge 20 is shown in FIG. 7. Itcomprises a body 200 having flanges 202 at the front face 204 forgrabbing and wedge-shaped cut-outs 206 at the sides 208 for mating withcomplimentary structures on the inside of the side walls 210 of thelower housing 12. Ink outlets 212, four in number are shown, provideaccess to separate internal compartments storing each of the four inks.A printed circuit chip 214 is fixed to the rear 216 of the cartridge 20and is encoded with details of the cartridge 20 s as the features(number, colours) and characteristics (viscosity, use by date) of theink or inks used so that when inserted into the housing the chip 214contacts a receiving connector dock 220 (see FIG. 6) whereby thesedetails may be read by the processing circuitry on PCB 16. The inkoutlets 212 mate with inlet sockets 222 on the ink connector 19. Theconnector 19 is provided with means for rupturing seals (not shown) inthe ink outlets 212 of the cartridge 20 when the cartridge 20 is firstinstalled. For example, the inlets 222 may have sharp metal edges fordoing this. The ink cartridge 20 may also include a battery pack withenough energy to operate the printhead 30 for the duration of the inksupply. Alternatively, provision for a battery pack may be providedelsewhere within the housing to fulfil these requirements or tosupplement them

The printhead 30 can be of a type of sufficient size and detail to printacross and along the opening 34 but preferably involves an inkjetprinthead of a type such as disclosed in the inventor's earlierapplications as listed below in the Appendix.

The stamp according to the invention may be operated mechanically, asdescribed above, or may be operated fully electrically, in which casethe upper housing need not be made moveable with respect to the basehousing but the two housings could be of a fixed configuration.

Other ways of moving the printhead 30 are also contemplated, includingusing a DC or an AC motor under internal power or through an externalpower connection. Regulation of the motion of the printhead 30 may beprovided by a mechanical governor or by the control circuitry for themotor such as by using a stepper motor or a synchronous AC motor.

As an alternative to the CCD image sensor, positioning of the printhead30 may be sensed by an optical quadrature wheel.

If the stamp is electrically powered, the power may be providedinternally either from a separate battery pack, from a battery integralwith the ink cartridge, from a generator or dynamo operated when theupper housing is moved downwardly, as described above, or by an externalwired connection, for example a USB (universal serial bas) connection(see FIG. 9).

Various embodiments of the stamp are contemplated and four furtherembodiments thereof are shown in FIGS. 8-11 respectively.

In FIG. 8, a pre-programmed stamp is shown A fixed message is, forexample, provided in a ROM associated with the circuitry driving theprinthead. The message may be displayed on an LCD 60 on the face of thestamp and may be further programmable by a set of select buttons, keysor toggles 62 which may, for example, present a time or a date to beprinted out with the fixed word, message or image.

In FIG. 9, a programmable stamp is shown which has a connector socket70, for example a USB (universal serial bus) connector for connecting toa portable or fixed computer which can be used to program or provideinput via the USB to the stamp for printing out a message made up viathe keyboard or mouse of said portable or fixed computer.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, a stamp is made with a removablemodule 80 which can be clipped onto top housing 10 and has a number ofselectable printable elements 82 which can be selected by the selectiondial 84. For example, the material that may be selected may be characterimages of a type such as Mickey Mouse, or Simpsons characters. Module 80may be removed and replaced by a separate module 90 to provide adifferent selection of characters allowing the stamp to be selectively“programmed”. Contacts 86 in the base of a module 80, 90 allow theinformation for the printing of the selected character(s) to betransferred to the processing circuitry of the stamp housing.

As shown in FIG. 11, a stamp is provided which has an attached lens 100,view finder 102 and image sensor 104, the latter two for example being aLCD 102 and a charge coupled device (CCD) 104 respectively, making ineffect a miniature camera. The CCD 104 can be used to take a picture ofa scene using the button 106 while displaying the scene on theviewfinder 102. The image can then be stored and printed out using theprinthead 30 in the manner such as disclosed in the applicant's Artcamapplications for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,619. Thestamp may also be provided with a processor unit that can add otherdetails to the image taken by the CCD 104, for example, the time anddate or some text The stamp may also be provided with a programmableinput, such as disclosed with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 9,whereby, for example, the time and date or the name of the author of thephotograph or image may be applied thereto when printed out.

The stamp may be used to replace the prior art rubber stamps used inoffice environments but may also be used in a variety of othersituations, for example, to print a barcode and/or price on a tag orlabel with the tag or label fixed to the product or separate therefrom.In the latter case, an embodiment such as described with respect to FIG.9 may be used whereby the stamp is connected via a connector such as anUSB to the inventory computer in a supermarket or retail store whichloads the details of a barcode and/or price for printing by theprinthead 30. The printhead 30 is, for example, as described in U.S.Pat. No. 6,152,619 a linear inkjet printhead having from 1 up to 6colour jets which are arranged in a linear columnar configurationprinting a column of dots in each colour as the printhead traverses theaperture in the base of the stamp. The printhead 30 may be positioned inthe opening 250 in the base 252 of the stamp to move along either thelong axis 254 or the short axis 256 of the opening 250 as shownrespectively in FIGS. 12 and 13. Such printheads may have a resolutionof up to 1600 dots per inch allowing the printing of a detailedmonochrome or colour strip. In addition, if an infra-red ink is used aninvisible watermark or security code may be included with the visibleprinted matter. The width of the strip will vary depending upon the sizeof the printhead used but a print head has a typical width of 5-8 mm. Awider printhead can be provided by overlapping more than one suchprinthead.

The foregoing description has been limited to specific embodiments ofthis invention. It will be apparent, however, that variations andmodifications may be made to the invention, with the attainment of someor all of the advantages of the invention. For example, it will beappreciated that the invention may be embodied in hardware and/orsoftware in a suitably programmed device, both aspects of which arereadily accomplished by those of ordinary skill in the respective arts.Therefore, it is the object of the appended claims to cover all suchvariations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope ofthe invention.

1. A programmable marking device for printing indicia on print media bymovement of a printing mechanism with respect to the media while saidprint media is substantially stationary, said printing mechanismincluding a printing means for printing said indicia, storage means forstoring in an electronic form information for printing said indicia,means for reading information from said storage means, means for writinginformation to said storage means, and processor means for processingsaid information and for controlling said printing means to print saidindicia as said printing means is moved with respect to said printmedia; the device further including a base housing and an upper housingmoveable with respect to each other between a rest position and an endposition, the device being configured such that relative movement fromthe rest position to the end position causes movement of the printingmeans in a printing movement from a start position to a finish positionrelative to a substrate upon which the device is being used; the devicefurther including moving means for generating the printing movement, themoving means including an arm pivotally connected to a fixed point ofsaid upper housing at one end and pivotally connected at the other endto said printing means, and further including a resilient meansatttached to said printing means for returning said printing means tosaid rest position after said end position has been reached.
 2. Aprogrammable marking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said meansfor writing information to said storage means includes connector meansfor connecting said storage means to an external processor means.
 3. Aprogrammable marking device as claimed in claim 2, wherein saidconnector means includes a Universal Serial Bus connector.
 4. A markingdevice as claimed in claim 2, configured to convert downward movement ofthe upper housing supplied by a user's hand into lateral movement of theprinting means.
 5. A marking device as claimed in claim 2, wherein thebase housing includes an aperture disposed, in use, adjacent andsubstantially parallel to the substrate.
 6. A marking device as claimedin claim 5, wherein the aperture includes one or more marking lines orformations indicative of an area to be printed during operation of themarking device.
 7. A programmable marking device as claimed in claim 1,wherein said storage means are programmable solid state memory means. 8.A programmable marking device as claimed in claim 1, further whereinsaid means for writing information includes a removable module engaginga connector of the device, said module being programmed with informationfor printing a plurality of indicia, the programmable device furtherincluding means for selecting one or more of said indicia to be printedby said printing means.
 9. A programmable marking device as claimed inclaim 1, further including an inbuilt camera comprising lens, an imagingCCD and a view under and further including switch means for activatingsaid inbuilt camera, said processor means for controlling said printingmeans including a processor means for processing an image captured bysaid inbuilt camera means and printing out said image using saidprinting means.
 10. A programmable marking device as claimed in claim 9,wherein said printing means is an inkjet printhead.
 11. A programmablemarking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said printing mechanismincludes an ink supply means; said printing means comprises an inkjetprinthead; said means for controlling said printing means comprisesmicroprocessor means and said storage means includes solid state memorymeans for storing the information required to print said indicia, thewaiting device including means for connecting said ink supply means tosaid printing means to convey ink in said inkjet printhead.
 12. Aprogrammable marking device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said inksupply means includes a supply of a plurality of inks, said connectingmeans includes a corresponding plurality of respective connections, saidprinthead including a corresponding plurality of sets of inkjet nozzlesfor printing with said plurality of inks.
 13. A programmable markingdevice as claimed in claim 12, wherein said ink supply means includesmeans storing at least one ink and said printhead includes a pluralityof inkjet nozzles for printing with at least said one ink.
 14. Aprogrammable marking device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said inksupply means includes means storing at least an infrared ink and anotherink, said printhead including a plurality of inkjet nozzles for printingwith at the two inks.
 15. A programmable marking device as claimed inclaim 14 wherein said ink supply means is replaceable.
 16. Aprogrammable marking device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said inksupply means is replaceable.
 17. A programmable marking device asclaimed in claim 13 wherein said ink supply means is replaceable.
 18. Amarking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the components isan inkjet printhead comprising a plurality of nozzles formed bymicroelectromechanical means.
 19. The device of claim 18, wherein theinkjet printhead is a full color printhead.
 20. A marking device asclaimed in claim 1, further including a safety mechanism that onlyallows printing to take place when the device is in an operativeposition with respect to a substrate.
 21. A marking device as claimed inclaim 20, wherein the safety mechanism comprises a switch that isnormally open, and is configured to close when the marking device isurged into contact with the substrate.